glass ceilings & escalators: what are they and how do they impact equity?

Continuing obstacles impact opportunity and advancement in the workplace. In this post, we ask you to consider the metaphors of ceilings and escalators that are often invisible, misunderstood, and under-acknowledged.

What Is the Glass Ceiling?

Coined in 1978 by Marilyn Loden and Kathleen B. Wiley,  the term "glass ceiling" was used to describe how women in corporate America faced unseen obstacles preventing them from advancing to the highest ranks, despite their qualifications.

Since then, "glass ceiling" has been widely applied to describe workplace barriers faced by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, immigrants, and individuals from other marginalized groups from reaching high levels of leadership. See also our previous post on the bamboo ceiling.

What is the Glass Escalator?

This metaphor refers to men in women-dominated or stereotypically feminized occupations such as teaching and nursing, who get promoted or pushed upward, whether or not they desire this mobility. Men in these professions tend to experience higher levels of upward occupational mobility than women in men-dominated professions (as they experience the glass ceiling). 

How Can Employers Shatter Glass Ceilings and Escalators?

While breaking ceilings and escalators may seem like a big task, it is possible with intentional and sustained effort from organizations and individuals. Here are some actionable steps for fostering change:

1. Evaluate Policies: Companies should regularly review their handbook policies to ensure that they support environments where employees from all backgrounds can thrive. Set goals and establish benchmarks to meet these goals. Review handbook policies regularly to ensure that changes are having the desired impact .

   
   

2.  Address Pay and Promotion Gaps:  Conduct an audit of salary structure and promotions. Are employees across different demographics receiving opportunities for advancement? If not, why is that the case? By conducting regular salary studies, inventories of office housekeeping and other essential work not often captured in performance reviews, organizations can make space to see all the dynamics involved in keeping the workplace growing. In addition, valuing office housekeeping (see our previous post - link here) creates a pathway to address other workplace inequities.

   
   

3. Strengthen Mentorship Programs: Mentorship is critical for advancing into leadership roles.  If your organization does not have one, invest in finding programs that suit your company structure. Mentorship should be available to all employees, especially individuals from marginalized groups. Whether formal or informal, mentorship programs should be designed to support the career progression of employees with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, abilities, and skillsets  while recognizing and validating their unique contributions and challenges.

4. Foster Inclusive Leadership: Efforts must go beyond one-time initiatives and should involve setting measurable goals, allocating resources, implementing community feedback, and holding leadership accountable for supporting and maintaining equitable and accessible workplaces. Through long-term commitment to inclusion, belonging, and accessibility strategies, organizations can actively create spaces where diverse perspectives are valued, heard, and uplifted.

5. Address Bias & Stereotypes: Regular training and education around implicit and explicit bias can help team members understand how people’s beliefs impact decision-making. For example, transparent processes for promotion and hiring can reduce the influence of bias. Gender, racial, class, and ability stereotypes – ranging from work-life balance to perceived ability —  impact workloads and  performance reviews. This then influences who gets selected to advance, steer the ship, make a pivot, rally the team, represent the brand, and build connections. Revisit company goals and determine how future operations can help to interrupt the phenomenon of ceilings and escalators in your workplace.  

#Equity #Belonging